“Police have said several suspected militants have been shot dead in crossfire”.
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All the arrests were made on specific charges, national police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque said, relating to firearms, narcotics and other offences.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has, however, blamed homegrown Islamists for the attacks, rejecting claims of responsibility from the worldwide “jihadist” groups. It was prompted by assaults by machete-wielding assailants who target bloggers advocating secularism and atheism, as well as leaders of religious minorities, university professors and foreign aid workers in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Islamic State Is trying to ride a wave of religious radicalisation by falsely claiming a spate of killings in Bangladesh, a government minister said, adding there was enough evidence implicating domestic militant groups. The government rejects claims of responsibility from the Islamic State (IS) group and a South Asian branch of Al-Qaeda, saying worldwide jihadists have no presence in Bangladesh.
The latest crackdown was launched Thursday, just days after the wife of a senior police official who led raids against drug cartels and militants was stabbed and killed in the southeastern city of Chittagong.
Among those detained were petty criminals and suspected Islamist radicals.
The Bangladeshi government says that neither jihadi group is present in the country, despite their claims otherwise, and blames the attacks on homegrown radicals, opposition parties and criminals.
The government has been criticized for not doing more to respond to the killings. This nationwide crackdown followed criticism of the government for not having taken action sooner.
Members of the BNP were also reportedly rounded up by police during the crackdown.
The alleged militant was identified as Omar Faruk, 40.
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“The brazen announcement by violent groups that they will continue targeting those they perceive as “insulting Islam” should shake the Bangladeshi authorities out of their complacency”, Champa Patel, the right’s group’s director in South Asia, said in a statement. A 60-year-old Hindu ashram worker was hacked to death by ISIS jihadists while he was out for the morning walk, days after another priest was killed by the terrorists of the same outfit in the Muslim majority nation. She is known to have stopped at least half a dozen such investigations and vetoed an equal number of proposals from the state police to nab Islamic militants.
